It is a performances centric movie

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is a Hollywood movie made in the middle of World War II. It's a very good portrayal of British and French undercover work during the war, as well as of the French underground. To it's credit, it also shows the betrayal of some of the French, including a double agent and traitors among the underground. The French underground contributed to the Allied efforts against Germany in WW II. But the country also saw a significant collaboration with the Nazis, in the Vichy government, socializing with the Germans, and spies and double agents in the underground. At the time "Assignment in Brittany" was being made, Germany's blockade of the Atlantic was in place. By the end of 1943, when it had ended - due to loss of ships and air support, the Germans had sunk 3,500 merchant ships enroute to the United Kingdom and Russia. Some 175 Allied war ships also had been sunk. Germany lost 783 U-boats and 47 surface ships. There wasn't a specific U-boat base on the coast of France that had to be knocked out, as this movie shows. Rather, Allied bombing raids hit several ports from which U-boats operated. But, most of the U-boat losses were from Allied aircraft and convoy escort ships. The Atlantic battle was one of attrition in which the Allies outlasted the Germans with superior naval power combined with a blockade of Germany from it's Baltic Sea ports. This film has some good action toward the end,. But its best aspect is the portrayal of the French underground and people during the German occupation. The story is an interesting one. Considering that MGM had to shoot the movie on its Hollywood studios, the film has a realistic feel as though it's taking place in Brittany France during the war. The cast all do a fine job and the film quality and production are good. This was the American film debut of both Jean-Pierre Aumont and Signe Hasso. He is Capt. Pierre Metard in the French Army, and goes undercover back into France as a look-alike, Bertrand Corlay. His duty is to pinpoint the hidden German U-boat base so that the Allies can attack and destroy it. The story has an element of romance, but not the obviously usual type that Hollywood inserts to increase appeal for a film. Here are a couple of interesting lines from the movie. Corlay and a schoolteacher, Jean Kerenor (played by Richard Whorf) are going into the town pub when a German guard stops them. Kerenor says, "One uncovers. It's good form for the content." They take their hats off and enter, where town men and German officers are seated at tables. But all others are wearing their hats.To Metard, who impersonates her son, Madame Henriette Corlay says, "There are women, monsieur, who give their love but once. I think Ann's one of them. When you go..." Capt. Metard, "It's not I she loves... it's your son." Mme. Corlay, "I don't think you believe that. Monsieur, don't make her suffer any more."

Solid story, I think well done and paced nicely for modern sensibilities even. Dramatic scenes jump to quite harrowing action without warning, and play out realistically. A relatively simple, high-stakes spy/war plot, clearly resolved. Nice bits of play acting, being discovered, double agents, etc. etc. Some here complain about the acting, but I thought it all worked great, and the supporting cast really held up their end; even people on screen for two minutes seem real, and to be motivated by actual emotion. Not a great transfer, and hard to watch but I caught it on TCM. Nicely done sets, and mostly works within the confines of budget by keeping things indoors and at night. The few outdoor scenes (especially those in the day) are a bit lame in the backlot/studio way they were, but that's about the only flaw I can find in it.

Jean-Pierre Aumont, Susan Peters, Signe Hasso, and Margaret Wycherly star in "Assignment in Brittany," a 1943 film.The story concerns a young man, Capt. Pierre Matard (Aumont), who is sent to France because he is a lookalike of an injured man, Bertrand Corlay (also Aumont) hospitalized in London. The British need to location of a port in Brittany that has destroyed a lot of British ships. Pierre goes to France and impersonates Corlay.Matard knows a great many facts about Corlay but nothing of his cold personality and the fact that he has been playing ball with the Nazis. Bertrand's mother catches on fairly quickly; his girlfriend (Susan Peters) is slower on the draw. Corlay also has a mistress (Hasso), which comes as a surprise. He works with the Free French, all the while trying to keep himself and others out of danger.The last time I saw Jean-Pierre Aumont was in a TV movie called Sins in 1986. He was 75 years old, and I don't think I ever saw him as anything but elderly. Well, boy, what a hunk he was - that beautiful mane of hair, glorious smile, good build - wow.This is a typical black and white film about the war, showing the courage of the people in the French resistance. Everybody was good, and despite a critique of stage mannerisms on this board, I was frankly unaware of it.It was nice to see the lovely Susan Peters as the shy but loving girlfriend of Bernard, who actually falls for his impersonator Matard. Only two years later, she would be in a hunting accident and spend the following 7 years in a wheelchair, until her death in 1952 at the age of 31.Aumont actually fought with the Free French in North Africa. He was widowed in 1951 when his wife, Maria Montez, died of heart failure while sitting in a hot bath. He remarried in 1956, to Marisa Pavan, and stayed married to her until his death 45 years later.Good movie, good suspense, and a young and vital Aumont.

This picture has the look and feel of a British film of the period, probably because it includes mainly actors who spent WWII in Hollywood under contract to MGM. Jean-Pierre Aumont and his colleagues show their previous training on stage through too large gestures and reactions. Also, the acting often looks as if war were a lot of fun.Aumont is incredibly handsome but seems wasted in this two-dimensional portrayal of a Free French warrior. The picture no doubt bolstered the spirits of his fans, dramatizing the efforts of the Free French at a crucial time in history. Any authenticity in his character comes from the knowledge that he did indeed serve with the Free French, for which he was later decorated by the French government.The best acting in the film is by the naturalistic Susan Peters and the classically trained Margaret Wycherly. Nevertheless, the picture is worth seeing for its place in the history of movie making.